


A Town with an Ocean View

by peppermintpeony (coloringwitheyeliner)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Flowers, Gay, Humanstuck, I dont care that I;m out of character, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, Multi, Sober Roxy Lalonde, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation, also? dont make me say it, dkfjdlsjdlsaf, gay thins happen, hahah vine, heavily ghibli inspired, if yall like this and have specific relationship requests let me know, its also not really a coffee shop au but like... a bakery au, love and support her healthy habits, love that girl, there will be more relationships i just havent decided which ones yet, uhhhhhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-06-21 14:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15560292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloringwitheyeliner/pseuds/peppermintpeony
Summary: The Striders are visiting the Lalondes over the summer, and as such, summer shenanigans will take place.This is a multirelationship, slowburn JohnDave fic! I hope you all enjoy!





	1. Dave Meets the Sea

“We’re here,” Dirk called over to his younger brother in the seat next to him. Dave peeled an eye open, one cheek stuck flush against the window. Without his shades on, he may have felt nearly blinded by the bright sun light outside, reflecting off sparkling blue waves. He slid a hand under his glasses to wipe away the grogginess in his eyes, and then turned to get a better look at where he would be staying for the summer. It was a small coastal town, old brick buildings lining the street to his other side. When he leaned forward he could just get a glimpse of a clock tower, much taller than the rest of the buildings below. Ahead, he could make out a pier decorated with bright colors. A Ferris Wheel rose above the rest of it, tipping him off that the pier was home to some sort of an amusement park, which surprised him. There were so few tourist-trap type shops marketing overpriced swim gear, and so many old, homey buildings that anything touristy seemed out of place. Though, while the place was beautiful, it wasn’t at all what he had expected to see when he arrived in the hometown of the Lalondes, which he wasted no time pointing out to his brother.

“Well, yeah, we’re not actually there yet,” Dirk shifted in the driver’s seat. “Just wait until you see their house.” He turned off what seemed to be the main road (if the sign indicating it to be “Main Street” was meant to give them any sort of idea) and onto a much more narrow, wooded dirt road. They continued down for some way, before slowing down and turning onto a long drive way. When the house began to appear over the horizon, Dave felt much more assured that this was, in fact, the place in which his cousins resided. It was an old, large house with a gothic exterior, and then jutting out of the side was a much sleeker, more modern addition than Dave assumed to be Roxy’s laboratory. A mix of dark pink roses and purple lilacs grew up around the porch, looking elegant against the intricate detailing of the house. As they pulled up and found a place to park, a pink head of hair appeared at the top of the stairs leading up to the porch. Dave slid his seat belt off, climbed out of the car, and stretched.

“Need any help with your stuff?” Roxy called, making her way down to meet the two brothers.

“No, I think we can get everything.” Dave replied, pulling a backpack out of the trunk of the old truck. He slid it on, and then grabbed a suitcase in each hand. Dirk was sporting a similar set of bags.

“Well, if you can carry it, I’ll hold the doors for ya,” Roxy smiled, her bangs falling into her eyes before turning around and heading back toward the house. They crammed themselves through the door, Roxy following them in.

“Alrighty!” She said with a clap of her hands. “Who’s ready to see their rooms?”

“Me,” Dave sighed, his body aching from the cramped ride. While he hadn’t gone straight from Texas to the Lalonde’s New England seaside home, he had still missed being able to properly stretch out on a piece of furniture. A famous Roxy grin and a flight of stairs later, his eldest cousin stopped in front of a door.

“This will be your room, Dave!” She smiled, warm and genuine. She opened the door and the room, while quaint, felt perfectly at home to Dave. While it wasn’t necessarily anything like his room at home, he could tell that his cousins had put a lot of effort into making it a comfortable space to live in. The walls were a soft white, a white that had been painted many years ago and had faded so as not to be quite so stark as it may have been when it was first painted. There was a desk underneath a large window, from which you could look over the surrounding forest and out into the town. Facing the door was the bed, covered with what seemed to be a red, homemade quilt.

“Don’t tell Rose I told you, but she spent most of the school year making that for you,” Roxy whispered to him. “She made one for both you and Dirk. You’re welcome to take them home when you leave.”

The corners of Dave’s lips quirked up into a small smile. “Well, don’t tell her this, but it was super dope of her and I love it.”

Before Roxy could reply, another voice chimed in from the hallway. “I _do_ think it’s a tad bit late for that, wouldn’t you say, Dirk?”

Dirk smirked at Rose, whose presence seemed to not surprise him in the least, and threw an arm around her. “Ya know, I would.”

“You’re a menace, Lalonde,” Dave barked at her, but she was already leading Dirk down the hallway to his room. Roxy let out a laugh, sweet and melodic.

“It’s okay, Dave. What’s the chance that she’ll hold that over you for the whole summer?”

Dave grimaced. “It’s higher than you think, Rox.”

The pink haired woman laughed again, and this time it was _her_ that threw an arm around _him._ “Don’t worry about, Davey. Take some time to relax for now, dinner will be in a few hours,” she gave his hair a light tussle, he nodded, and she left the room, closing the door behind her. Dave threw his bags down and collapsed on the bed. When he looked up at the ceiling, he noticed they’d put up glow-in-the-dark stars. Dave couldn’t help but laugh at them, and with his laughs he released the tension that had built up in him during the long trip there. Then he stretched, popped a few of his joints, then stood up and headed back downstairs. He plopped down on stool at breakfast bar in the kitchen, and watched Roxy cook from there. Her hands moved elegantly and purposefully from one ingredient to the next. Dave guessed she must have made this a hundred times. He watched her as she chopped, minced, mixed, folded, and placed her ingredients into a large pot. He sat there day dreaming as the food cooked, a lovely aroma filling the room.

“I thought you said dinner would be ready in a few hours?” Dave called out as Roxy turned down the heat and moved the dish to the dining room table.

“What do you mean?” Roxy questioned back, visibly puzzled.

“Has… has it already been a few hours?”

Roxy threw her head back to laugh this time, fully and hardy. She placed one oven-mitted hand on her hip, and smiled wide. “You’re a real daydreamer, aren’t ya Davey?” A light blush spread across his features, and he admitted that he did, in fact, often found himself lost in thought.

“Well that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Are you hungry?” she gestured to the large pot in the center of the table. He hadn’t realized it until then, but he was.

“Very,” he admitted, and she seemed pleased by this answer.

“Go ahead and sit down, I’ll call the other two down.”

When everyone had made it down stairs and was situated around the table, Roxy began dishing out the chicken and dumplings to everyone. The warm, rich broth, the soft chewy dumplings, and the tender chicken, made everyone full and drowsy. After cleaning up, they all settled in front of the Lalonde’s tv, where they watched some sappy mystery movie on the Hallmark channel, laughing and joking about what strange decisions the characters would make next. When it ended, they all said their goodnights, and drifted to their own rooms.

The first day there was slow. Rose gave them a tour of the house while Roxy was busy with a new project in her lab. That evening they’d grilled some hot dogs and split off to do their own thing for the night.

The second day, Dave asked about the amusement park he’d saw on the way to their house.

“Oh, that place got closed down last month,” Rose rolled her eyes. “You’d think they would have cleaned it up by now, but no.” She sighed deeply. “I wish they would hurry up, too. I miss being able to go out on the pier.”

The third day, Rose and Dave decided to head into town. They walked a long the shop windows, looking in to view what they had to offer. In his head, Dave made a map of all the town. First, on the corner, was the glass blowing shop, with their delicate statues and ornaments. Next door was a small antique shop, and further down was a florist, an artist’s studio, a gym, a bakery, and at the end of the road was the grocery store and the court house.

The antique shop held an assortment of treasures, one of was being pitched to a skinny, nerdy looking guy by a girl with long, wild hair.  The florist shop housed a myriad of flowers, some of which Dave didn’t recognize, and he wondered how some of them were able to grow in the New England climate. An elegant-looking woman was wrapping up a bouquet for a boney woman with white-blonde hair, and the cashier’s emerald green eyes lit up as Rose waved to her. Inside the art studio, Dave could see a variety of paintings. Some of the ocean, some of the forest, some of people. They were all beautifully and delicately painted. A girl with black hair and crocs was painting another in the corner, and a girl with red glasses sat at a table, scribbling furiously onto a piece of paper. Passing the gym, he noticed a tall, muscular man with chin length hair who appeared to be coaching another, younger man through physical therapy.

Outside the bakery, a girl with long hair and glasses tended to a flower box nestled next to the large window of the bakery. She clipped the dead leaves off the last of spring’s crocuses, vainly trying to keep them looking nice in the rising summer heat. Next to her in their plastic pots- fresh from the florist, Dave guessed- were young chrysanthemums, which she seemed to be readying to go into the planter next. She looked up as the two approached.

“Hi Rose!!” The girl beamed at them.

“Hello, Jade.  This is my cousin, David.”

“Nice to meet you, David!” the girl named Jade exclaimed.

“Please, just call me Dave.”

“Got it,” Jade nodded and winked in reply. “Is Rose showing you a good time around town?”

“So far.”

“You should go inside and meet the rest of the family! I told them we’d meet someone knew today, but no one ever believes me!! You must be from out of state, too, since I can’t imagine Roxy wouldn’t have immediately introduced me to her entire extended family if possible,” she paused, looking Dave up and down. “Texas?”

Dave blinked in surprised, before nodding. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

Her smile turned more mysterious. “I just know these things!”

Rose nodded in agreement. “I’m going to take him to meet everyone else now, okay?”

“Alright! Be careful, though, Dad’s in one of his moods today.”

Rose grimaced, but continued inside anyway.

As soon as she opened the door, the two of them were met with the smell of butter and sugar. Fresh bread was propped up behind the counter, and glass cases were filled with a multitude of sweets. Sitting on the flat top of the glass cases were pie stands, each showcasing a beautiful, fresh pie. There were people off to each side, at tables and on couches sipping coffee, talking about their days.

“Hello, Jane,” Rose addressed the girl standing at the register. “Is it quite alright if we go ahead to the back? I’d like to introduce my cousin to everyone.” She turned around and gestured to Dave. “Speaking of which, this is Dave. Dave, Jane.”

Dave nodded in a silent greeting, and Jane smiled. “Yeah, that should be fine. I assume Jade already warned you?” Dave and Rose nodded in unison. “As long as you know.”

“Thank you, Jane.”

“Any time, Rosey,” Jane replied as the two blondes headed back towards the kitchen.

“Rosey, huh?” Dave whispered with a smirk.

“If you call me that I won’t hesitate to gut you,” his cousin shot back, with only a vague hint of joking.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, the remnants of a smirk lingering on his face as they pushed through the kitchen door. Inside was about 10 degrees hotter than outside the kitchen, which featured 3 large ovens and spacious counters. At one of these counters was a guy with messy black hair pulled into a hairnet. When they came in, he wiped a drop of sweat off his brow with a large, lean forearm, and flashed a large, bucktoothed grin at them. In one hand, he held a rolling pin, and in front of him was a rolled-out sheet of pastry dough.

His eyes were the color of the sea. 


	2. An Unorthodox Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains foul language!! Just a warning in case you don't like cursing.

It was at the same time that John finished his greeting that a pie flew directly past Dave’s face. He felt his cousin’s hand clap onto his shoulder, as she yelled for him to get down. He scrambled towards the ground just as another flew over his head. Rose’s eyes had a sudden fire in them as she directed him where to go, behind another nearby counter.

“Rose what the fuck is going on,” Dave hissed.

“There’s no time to explain. We need to find ammo. It’s us against them,” she darted around another corner, leaving Dave clambering after her.

“Ammo?” the blonde inquired, struggling to keep up. “Why are there so many counters in this kitchen?”

“Pies, David. Really, you don’t catch on fast, do you?” his cousin scoffed at him. “As for the counters, they’re here for this exact reason.”

“For… pie wars??”

Rose let out a frustrated sigh. She opened her mouth to say something back, but a shadow had formed above the both of them. They looked up to see the blue-eyed boy from earlier, a pie in hand, body pressed against the counter from the opposite side.

“John, don’t do anything rash now,” Rose said, skipping denial and anger, and going straight to the negotiating stage of grief.  

“Me?” he grinned mischievously. “Oh, Rose, how you kid.”

“John, please.”

“I don’t know….”

“Do you see this shirt? This is a new shirt. You wouldn’t want to ruin my new shirt, now would you?”

“Rose, I’ve seen you come in with that exact shirt on at least a dozen times.”

“You most certainly have not. This is new.”

John turned his attention to Dave.

“What do you think I should do?” he asked, clearly enjoying himself.

Dave tensed, and stared at him. He couldn’t really think, but years of fencing with his brother had taught him to be quick on his feet. Without having to give it too much thought, he sprung to his feet. He rolled away from the counter, and speed stepped around to behind John, where he grabbed the pie out of John’s hand and shoved it into his face.

Rose silently stood and brushed off her clothes. “I think that turned out rather favorably,” she smiled at her cousin. “I believe I owe you my life.”

“You sure as hell do,” Dave smirked, the remainder of the ruined pie in one hand. “You’d be dead without me.”

A hand clapped down firmly onto his shoulder. “That was brilliant, young man!”

Dave turned to see the man addressing him, but was met with a pie to the face. Dave removed the pie pan from his face turning back to look at her, whipped cream slightly obscuring his view. Her head was thrown back in a full, unrestrained fit of laughter, not unlike her sister’s. John had burst into a fit of laughter, too, pie filling glopping off of his face and onto the counter.

“Don’t take it personally, son. There’s casualty in wars,” the man said pleasantly, stepping around the counter to stand next to Rose, who was slowly starting to recover. “Think of it as an initiation into the family. I’m John and Jane’s dad, and Jade and Jake’s uncle, but everyone calls me dad. Feel free to call me tbat too. John, will you show this young man where he can wash off?”

John moved away from the counter and stood up and beckoned Dave to follow. They pushed through a set of doors, different from the one he and Rose had entered through, which led to small stairwell. At the top was a door, beyond which was a rather spacious apartment. It surprised Dave how large it seemed, to be on top of a bakery.

“The bathroom is down the hall. I’ll wash off in the kitchen,” John pointed in the general direction that the blonde would have to go in, looking a little more amused than a person giving directions to a bathroom should be. Dave nodded, and walked hurriedly down the hall. He could feel the sugar starting to cement his hair to his forehead.

However, when he pushed the bathroom door open, a bucket of water dropped and fell directly onto his head. He could hear John snickering from the kitchen. Dave decided to just proceed into the bathroom and hope for the best.

He removed his shirt, and began rinsing the remaining pie off of his face. When he finished, he turned back out into the hallway to find John holding a shirt out to him.

“Sorry about that. I set it up for Dad earlier, but I couldn’t resist. I hope this fits, I can wash your shirt for you if you’d like.”

Dave nodded, trading the clean shirt for his dirty one and slipping it over his head. It was fairly baggy on him, but not too bad. John tossed it into the washing machine next to the bathroom, and led the way back downstairs.

Rose lifted an eyebrow inquisitively, but instead of asking a question, what she said sounded more rueful.

“He got you, huh?”

“He did. Is it always like this?”

Rose chuckled. “Yes, I’d say it is.”

John smiled bashfully. “Sorry about that, I know you just got roughed up by a bunch of strangers.” He popped a few of his knuckles, and then opened his mouth again. “Let me make it up to you. Do you mind waiting a little bit?”

The pair of cousins turned to look at each other, both wordlessly passing the same message to each other. _“Do we mind waiting? Sure, why not.”_

They turned back to John and Rose nodded to him.

“Yes! Awesome!” he exclaimed, face lighting up. “You guys can go sit down at a table, and I’ll be out as soon as I’m done.”

In the restaurant area, they found Jade and her dad sitting at table drinking lemonade. Jade’s dirty gardening gloves lay in her lap, her tan legs covered in dirt and scraped up from spending long afternoons outside. They sat down with them and talked for what seemed like no time at all when John arrived with his apology and two sets of dinnerware.

He laid plates in front of both Dave and Rose, and puffed his chest out proudly. On each plate was a small, single serving pie.

“Blueberry, for you, Rose, just like you like! Um,” John paused and furrowed his brow, turning to Dave. “I don’t think I actually caught your name.”

Dave told him his name, and John nodded.

“Well, Dave! I wasn’t sure what flavors you like, so I took a guess.”

Jade and her dad nodded thoughtfully. “He’s usually really good at guessing what people like. Sometimes when regulars can’t decide, they ask him for a surprise,” Jade attested. Her father grunted in agreement.

John watched intently as Dave looked down at his pie, lifted a fork, and dove it into the dessert. When he lifted it to his lips and took a bit, his eyes widened. The familiar tastes of apple, cinnamon, and caramel flooded his mouth, and he sighed contentedly.

“Was I right?” John asked, blue eyes wide open.

“You were fuckin spot on, man,” Dave confirmed. “Actually, I think this is the best pie I’ve ever had.”

 “Yeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss,” John hissed in celebration.

His dad invited him to sit down, and he did, occasionally leaving to wait on customers dining at other tables. They talked until the sun had started to dip below the horizon, glinting off of the ocean waves outside.

“We better head back,” Rose excused herself, standing up. “Don’t want to walk up our road in the dark, you know.”

The black haired family nodded, each wishing them a safe walk back. Jane yelled her own goodbye to them from the counter where she was stationed. They parted, and Dave and Rose started their trek back to the house.

It wasn’t until that night when Dave retired to his room and looked in the mirror that he remembered he’d left his shirt behind.  


	3. Lalondes, Their Girlfriends, and the People They Consort With

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long getting up! Special thanks to Lepitorus!

The next morning, Dave found himself awake earlier than usual. With a stretch, he got up, dressed, and headed downstairs. As he descended, he could hear Roxy’s voice trailing from the kitchen, accompanied by a voice he didn’t recognize.

As he entered the kitchen, Roxy turned to beam at him as he cleared the grog from his eyes.

“Davey! There’s someone I want you to meet!” she grinned excitedly, grabbing onto his hands, holding them between the two of them. Dave leaned to look around her, his eyes landing on a bony, petite woman holding a bouquet of yellow dahlias and sunflowers.

“This is my girlfriend, Calliope!” Roxy beamed, moving so that Dave could see her properly.

Her face was soft and kind, and he noticed her hair light, but not quite blonde; up close, it appeared to be tinted green, as if she had dyed it a much more saturated color a long time ago, and it had faded so that it only bore some semblance to what it once was. The corners of her large, bright green eyes were decorated with little jewel stickers from the dollar store, and a light scattering of freckles decorated her cheeks.

“You can call me Callie!!” she shifted the flowers into the crook of her arm, extending her free hand for Dave to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he replied as they vigorously shook hands.

“You too!” she practically cheered. Her voice was musical, a soft English accent peeking through when she spoke. She suddenly turned her attention to her girlfriend, asking softly “Rox, love, a vase?”

“Oh!” Roxy snapped to attention, moving to grab a vase from under the sink, which she quickly filled with water and set on the counter. Callie handed her the flowers, which she carefully unwrapped and placed in the vase with ease. She leaned her face into them, letting the petals brush her cheeks.

“Thank you for the flowers, Callie,” she said finally, giving the flowers a little fluff. Then she addressed Dave. “We’re going out on a date today, I’m sorry I haven’t hung out with you more since you’ve been here.”

“It’s alright, I know you’re busy,” Dave gave her a soft, understanding smile.  

“It’s fine anyway,” Rose said suddenly from behind him. “We’ve got plans, my dude.”

Dave took a good look at Rose’s outfit, which deviated from her normal, everyday attire. Today she wore a shirt for some goth band tucked into a pair of black, high-waisted shorts, accompanied by a pair of black sneakers.

“Do I need to get all dressed up too?” Dave asked teasingly.

Rose rolled her eyes. “No, you’ll be fine,” she replied, and then turned to Roxy. “Well, we need to get going. Will you two be back in time for dinner?”

“Sure thing!” Roxy nodded.

Rose nodded back. “I’ll cook tonight, so I’ll buy the groceries on the way home.”

“I look forward to it!” the pink haired woman said enthusiastically, “See you guys later?”

Rose nodded once more, before indicating for Dave to follow. They loaded themselves into Rose’s truck, which Dave questioned her about as he buckled up.

“Yeah, a truck isn’t exactly my style- I really would prefer something different- it’s just all too convenient for where we live.”

Dave understood. Unpaved, rural roads aren’t exactly the place for low-riding cars.

“So,” Dave started. “What are these plans we have?”

“You know the glass blowing shop?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we’re going there. My girlfriend is close with the guy that runs it, and she told him you were visiting, so he’s letting us and whoever else comes with make whatever we want at a discount,” Rose explained. “I’m surprised he’s letting us do anything.”  She finished as they arrived in front of the lively bakery. They hopped up and made their way inside, where a man wearing high cut shorts was arguing with Jade.

“It doesn’t make sense!” Jade exclaimed. “There’s no way for a human to have successful intercourse with an alien! It just doesn’t work!”

“He had a fake alien body, Jade! Plus they were clearly humanoid!” the man argued back, gesturing angrily with his hands. “Who cares anyway! Their love was pure!”

“Hello, Jade. Jake,” Rose greeted the pair. “Jake, I don’t believe you’ve met my cousin yet?”

Jake turned a little red, realizing what he had been arguing about so publicly, and shook his head. “Ah- no, I haven’t.”

“Don’t worry,” Dave said reassuringly. “I agree with you. They’re totally in love and not even being a different species will keep them apart. Love always finds a way.”

“THANK YOU!” Jake threw his hands in the air. “Jade is being obstinately stubborn about this!”

Jade stuck her tongue out at him, then turned her attention away from him, and to Rose.

“I invited John and Aradia to join us.”

“They’re not working today?”

“Nah,” Jade waved her hand dismissively in the air. “Plus Dad’s baking cake today, and you know how John is about cake.”

“What’s wrong with cake?” Dave asked.

“He says its too sweet,” Jake answered.

“That’s a sin.”

Jake and Jade nodded solemnly.

 “A grave one,” Jake agreed.

“Are you coming with us Jake?” Rose asked.

“No, not today. Dad needs me to bus tables. Sorry I won’t be around, I know it breaks your heart.”

“It really does, Jake, you have no idea.”

The door behind them opened with a jingle, interrupting their train of thought.

“Hello,” a woman with striking green eyes entered the group, Rose lacing their fingers together.

“David, this is my girlfriend, Kanaya,” Rose introduced. “She’s the florist here in town.”

“Hello David,” Kanaya smiled warmly.

“Please, call me Dave,” he replied.

“I’ll stick with David,” Kanaya said firmly, earning a soft chuckle from Rose.

Kanaya turned her attention to her girlfriend. “You look lovely, as always,” she flattered, which Rose promptly thanked her for and paid her a compliment of her own.

“Hey guys!” John called, his turn to join the group.

Jade took his arrival as a sign it was time to leave, stepping into the center of the group and announcing, “It’s time to go!!” her hands poised firmly on her hips.

“What about Aradia?” John asked.

“She’s meeting us there!” Jade answered. “Can we go now? We’re gonna be late and you guys know how he gets when people are late.”

“Ugghhh,” John rolled his eyes. “He’s such a crybaby!”

“But you love him,” Rose teased.

“Deeply,” John joked back. “He’s my world. The light of my life.”

“Sounds gay.”

“Rose, it absolutely is.”

“I really can’t tell if you guys are joking,” Jake shook his head. “Are you and Karkat a thing?”

John laughed. “He wishes.”

“What the fuck kinda name is Karkat?” Dave interjected.

“What the fuck kinda name **_IS_** Karkat?” John repeated, his face draining dramatically for emphasis, the thought occurring to him for the first time.

“An absolutely lovely one!” Kanaya defended.

“Guys seriously!!” Jade interrupted. “We have to go!”

“Okay, okay, let’s get going!” John put his hands up in defense, smile never faltering.

The babbling of the group began to fade away from the bakery as Jake waved them off, the bell above the door jingling gleefully as they departed.

The glass blower’s shop stood humble but proud at the end of the street, glass creations of all sorts hanging in the window and sparkling in the light. Cheap party decorations adorned the windows, yellow cardboard cutouts shaped like the sun, blue streamers, and beach ball-shaped foam circles scattered strategically across. A variety of wallflowers grew up and around the door, average sized with light blue paint was peeling off in small strips. At the top of the door was an intricate stain glass window.

Dave stepped inside and took in his surroundings. There was a register and cases full of delicate glass figures. Behind the register counter was a Dutch door, the top half left open. Glass bobbles hung precariously from the ceiling, and the air smelled like cinnamon.

“Hello!” Jade called into the empty shop.

“We’re back here!” a voice rang back.

The group made their way through the door, which opened into a small kitchenette with a door leading out of the building. Within the kitchenette, a stout man was at a counter heating up a kettle on a hot plate, and at a small nearby table sat a girl with wild hair and bright red mascara who Dave guessed must be Aradia.

“Hi!” she greeted, a smile as wild as her hair cutting through her face. “Karkat was just making some tea while we waited.”

“It’s about fuckin time y’all got here,” the man at the counter said gruffly.

Kanaya moved to him and put her hands gently on his shoulders, straightening out the wrinkles in his shirt. “Will you make me a cup, too, Karkat?”

Her presence relaxed him some, stress easing from his shoulders. “Yeah, no problem.”

While Karkat fixed the tea, Jade introduced Dave to Aradia. He found out that her mom owned the antique store in town, which Aradia managed when she wasn’t using a metal detector she got as a 13th birthday present to find “artifacts” on the beach or collecting dead things, which they discussed at length as Karkat handed Aradia her cup of tea.

“Isn’t that an awfully morbid conversation to be having while trying to consume something?” Kanaya asked doubtfully.

“I don’t mind it!” Aradia replied cheerily. “I think it’s rather fascinating, the leftovers of death.”

“Can we fucking please not get her started?” Karkat sighed. “I’d just gotten her off of the subject when you all got here.”

“Not a fan?” Dave asked.

Karkat grimaced. “I prefer much lighter subjects.”

“He’s a hopeless romantic, Karkat,” Rose smirked.

“I don’t recall that being any of your goddamn business, Lalonde. Let’s get this shit started before I have a fucking aneurism.”

Kanaya and Aradia quickly finished off their tea and washed their cups before following Karkat out the back door and into a garage-type area where set up for glass work.  

“Alright, you assholes, listen the fuck up,” Karkat began. “All of you have to wear the protective eye gear and not one of you better fucking breath in while blowing glass. If you, do you’ll die, and I’ll kill you a second time for being so mind-numbingly idiotic. Who’s first?”

Everyone took their turn, making whatever odds and ends they desired. Rose made a little figure of a tree for Kanaya, and Kanaya made a small purple rose in exchange. Aradia made a deep red glass. A deep green witch ball for Jade, and a green slimer for John. By the time it was Dave’s turn, a few hours had passed.

“What do you want?” Karkat huffed.

“If it’s not too much, I’d really like to make a sword.”

“Like… a full on sword?”

“Yeah, basically,” Dave straight-faced. John laughed at his seriousness.

Karkat’s hung his head to the side, and then turned to Rose. “Your cousin is an idiot.”

Rose threw her hands in the air. “Finally, someone agrees.”

“I’m charging you extra, Strider.”

“It’s worth it,” Dave conceded.

“You know this is going to take way longer than everyone else’s to finish?”

Dave nodded.

Accepting that Dave wasn’t backing out of this decision, Karkat beckoned him over and they got to work,  shaping the hot glass first into a red hilt, and then a clear glass blade. While they worked, everyone broke into groups, having small conversations amongst themselves. Over an hour later, the whole sword was assembled and cooling off.

“What are you even going to do with that thing?” John asked through a goofy smile.

“Literally nothing. Pretty sure it’ll break if I try to hit anything with it,” Dave answered.

“You will 100% break it if you try to hit anything with it,” Karkat interjected. “You literally made a sword out of fucking glass. That being said, you could probably still stab the shit out of someone.”

“Fantastic.”

“Well,” Rose started, getting everyone’s attention. “I’m cooking dinner now, so if you want to come over and eat, you’re more than welcome.”

“OH hell yes,” Karkat enthused. “Count me in.”

“We’ll come too!” Jade chimed, grabbing Aradia’s hand and pumping their combined fist in the air.

“I absolutely will come,” John grinned.

“Can we expect this to turn into a slumber party?” Kanaya asked with a joking air.

“PLEASE?” Jade’s eyes widened. “That sounds like so much fun!”

Rose smiled. “Sure, why not?”


End file.
